ARCHIVED - Faecal contamination forces closure of another Alicante beach on the Costa Blanca

The red flag has been hoisted at Javea's Arenal beach in the Marina Alta region of Alicante province following a sewage spill into the water

Just days after environmentalists slammed the conditions of Playa de Arenal in Javea, claiming the beach was "unhealthy and unhygienic", the stretch of coastline has been closed due to faecal contamination.

The red flag has been hoisted and bathers are being warned of the health risk over a loudspeaker to stop people entering the sea.

The sewage spillage couldn't come at a worse time for the coastal resort with the summer season in full swing, but at 2.30pm on Tuesday July 26, Javea Town Hall announced the beach was closed to bathers following the detection of "a microbiological spill".

Analysis carried out at Arenal beach on Monday by the Bathing Water Quality Control Programme confirmed "an episode of faecal contamination" and the council instructed both the local police and lifeguard staff to enforce the closure.

Further analysis is being carried out to find out whether the spillage detected was a one-off or is still present, and if so, to determine its origin and the necessary actions to eliminate it.

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"As soon as the analysis confirms values in accordance with water quality suitable for bathing, the beach will reopen," assured the Town Hall.

The Regional Ministry of Agriculture and Ecological Transition has informed the Town Council that, as a result of "the rupture of the marine outfall", the Arenal beach is the most closely monitored beach in the Valencia Region and that in more than 80 analyses carried out during the breakdown, this is the first time that high microbiological parameters have been detected.

The outfall has been broken since April and the first repairs carried out were deemed "a fiasco" as the pipe was clogged. Further repair work is currently underway.

Ecologists in Action Marina Alta (EAMA) has been warning for weeks that the broken outfall could cause sewage contamination and claimed "damaged outfall discharges remain stagnant".

"The current situation is unhealthy and unhygienic, both from the point of view of democratic and public health. Russian roulette is being played with the health of citizens.

"The situation will become more and more serious, as during the summer there will be more and more people. As a consequence, the sewage treatment plant will be overloaded and the sea will become hotter, dangerous conditions that will create a real soup of bacteria", EAMA warned last week.

Earlier this month, Orihuela Town Hall was forced to close three popular beaches for 24 hours due to sewage spillages.

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Image: Ayuntamiento de Javea